February 23, 2011

Mark Cuban's blueprint for greatness, and other leftovers from the Mavericks' win over Utah

The Mavericks have won 50 games in a row every season for
the last decade, but Mark Cuban knows that great things don’t last
forever.

And he will be willing to rebuild when the time comes. He
just won’t like it. And he hopes it’s not anytime soon, either.

“I’d prefer not to (rebuild),’’ he
said. “But if I had to, I would. When it’s time to rebuild,
it’s time to rebuild. And we’re going to (stink).’’

Yeah, he used a more colorful word than stink.

Interestingly, Cuban has talked to owners like Dan Gilbert
in Cleveland and told them that, no matter how painful a really bad season is,
there’s always a chance to go from “zero to hero’’ when
you get to the draft lottery. Things can change in a hurry. He also said almost
all teams have to hit rock bottom before they turn it around, citing New York,
New Jersey, Cleveland and Oklahoma City, all of whom had to hit serious depths
before turning things around.

Anyway, that scenario for the Mavericks is years away, in
all likelihood.

What mattered more Wednesday night was their showing against
Utah, which was uneven at times, but included some interesting highlights, such
as:

·
58 percent shooting, which marked the fifth game
in a row in which they’ve topped 50 percent from the field. That’s
the Mavericks’ longest streak since late in the 2003-04 season.

·
With his 18th point (out of 23), Dirk
Nowitzki passed Clyde Drexler (22,195) for 23rd place on the NBA’s
all-time scoring list. Nowitzki now has 22,201 points for his career. The next
two players ahead of him on the list are Kevin Garnett and Elgin Baylor,
proving he’s entering some rarified air.